


Never Too Late

by DarlingSpade



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Destiel - Freeform, Hurt/Comfort, Love, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-05-31
Packaged: 2019-05-16 08:34:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14807928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarlingSpade/pseuds/DarlingSpade
Summary: Dean and Castiel have been best friends for years, and Dean's been looking for his soulmate ever since he got his mark when he turned 18. Castiel's already found his soulmate, but the only one who knows that is himself and Gabriel.Another Destiel Soulate AU. This one is Soulmate marks.





	Never Too Late

"I honestly don't get the purpose of doing this at all," Castiel grumbled as Dean pulled him by the arm and dragged him to one of the empty pool tables of the bar. Castiel Novak was Dean's best friend and they've been best friends since their freshman year of high school. He had raven black hair and the brightest blue eyes that you'd ever laid eyes on-and quite a looker. Castiel was currently grumbling because Dean had dragged him out for drinks and to play some pool when he'd much rather be at home reading.  
  
"You'll never meet your soul mate if you stay in home reading all day." Dean retorted as he tossed Castiel a pool stick and proceeded to roll it on the table before chalking the tip of it. Dean Winchester was a more-than-average looking guy with dark green eyes and light brown hair. He had the face and build of a male model but he never considered himself prissy enough to even consider being one.   
  
Castiel shifted uncomfortably as he followed suit in checking and preparing his stick for pool as Dean set up the balls. "How often must I tell you that I'm not in any rush to finding a soul mate?" He rolled his eyes at Dean and Dean only shook his head in disbelief. Castiel noted his friend's slight dancing to the Bon Jovi playing in the background of the bar.  
  
"You have to be the one in a million of people who aren't in a rush to find your soulmate. I'm sure she's gorgeous."   
"Yeah, I'm sure  _she_  is." Castiel rolled his eyes once again. "How long are you going to rack those balls?"  
"Huh?" Dean's cheeks went slightly pink. "Oh, sorry." Dean took the triangle away and Castiel lined up his shot.  
  
Castiel sent the cue ball in for a break and he lands in the three. "Alright, I'm solids." Castiel smiled and Dean sighed. The reason the two loved playing the game together is that they both were pretty good at it. Dean was always trying to convince Castiel into hustling people but he never agreed. After hitting five balls in consecutively Castiel finally missed a shot. "Damn. Your go."   
  
"Awesome, time to wipe the floor with you." Dean rolled up his sleeves in preparation and revealed his soul mate mark. The mark was revealed on Dean's 18th birthday, just like everyone else. The marks always had some deep meaning that normally took finding your soul mate to completely understand, and even after discovering them, the people might not even realize that meaning for many years. Dean had spent enough of his time worrying and hoping that he would find his soul mate right away, but he was 26 now and still nothing. Dean glanced down at the mark on his left forearm, he had analyzed the symbol for ages now because he wanted to get a head start on figuring out the meaning. But Dean just couldn't figure out why there was a music note with angel wings on his forearm.   
  
Dean had sunk his fourth ball when he glanced at Castiel who was staring at him and his movements.  _I wonder who Castiel's soulmate is._  Dean couldn't help but wonder what his best friend's soulmate would look like, nevertheless his mark for that matter. Castiel claimed that his mark was on the left side of his ribcage and that he never showed anyone because he wasn't comfortable showing it. He had described it to Dean however when he started to pester him about it. He always said he had a circle with a dot in it, Castiel claimed that it was pretty boring and that's another reason why he never showed anyone.  
  
"Hey, Dean? You gonna shoot your sixth ball in the pocket or just stare off into space?" Castiel waved a hand in front of Dean's face and Dean blinked and looked up at his friend. "You okay?" Castiel asked.  
  
"Oh, yeah Cas. Sorry, I got distracted."  
"Aww, got lost in my eyes?" Castiel teased and Dean felt his cheeks heat up just a bit.  
"No. Fuck off." Dean rolled his eyes and hit the cue ball to sink his next shot.   
  
Dean managed to get all of his balls in but two and Castiel frowned at him. "Have you been practicing without me or something?" Castiel walked around the table and started sinking his own shots. He sunk the rest of the solids besides the eight ball when he missed. "Damn. This might be the end." Castiel sighed and leaned against the table to watch Dean line up the rest of his shots. And, like Castiel predicted, Dean sunk in the rest of his balls including the eight ball. "I guess you won. Ready to go home?"  
  
"You didn't even talk to one girl the whole time we were here." Dean moved to put away their sticks.  
"I told you, not interested." Castiel sighed and grabbed Dean's leather jacket for him.  
"Not even to that chick over there?" Dean took his jacket and gestured to a brunette sitting a the bar.  
"Nope." Castiel started towards the exit.  
"Cas, she's hot!" Dean hurried after him. "Why don't you go talk to her then?" Castiel sounded almost hurt.  
  
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." Dean ran in front of Castiel to stop him from walking. "I'm sorry for pushing you so hard dude. I don't know, I guess I've been feeling weird ever since Sam started dating your cousin Gabriel."  
  
"He's not really my cousin, but he's so close to family that we just call him that." Castiel shrugged. "And it's okay, ever since he and Sam started dating I've been trying to distance the whole soulmate thing more, it's not your fault to be curious."   
  
Dean and Castiel made their way over to Dean's 1967 black chevy impala and unlocked it. Castiel got into the passenger's side of 'Baby' as Dean called her and Dean, of course, took the driver's seat. Castiel buckled himself in and Dean followed suit before turning the car on and turning up the volume. Kansas started playing through the loudspeakers and Castiel turned his window down to help release the sound.  
  
Dean had a wide grin on his face and he looked over at Castiel who only looked at him and gave him a mall smile before shaking his head and turning his head away. Dean kept the grin on his face when he turned back to look at the road.  _It doesn't get better than this._  Dean glanced back at Castiel who was staring out the open window, his hair getting annihilated by the wind.  _It can't get any messier than it already is._  Dean looked back at the road and had a realization. "Hey Cas, are you staying over with me and Sammy tonight or going back to you and Gabe's apartment?" Castiel didn't seem to hear him and was staring off so Dean reached over to nudge him with his arm. "Cas."  
  
"Huh? What?" Castiel turned to look at him.  
"Are you staying with me and Sammy or do you want to go back to your apartment?" Dean asked again.  
"Oh." Castiel seemed to think for a moment. "Let's go to your place first, I have a feeling Gabe's at your place already."  
"What makes you say that?" Dean glanced back at the road then to Castiel.  
"Gabe kinda hinted that he was going to...'bring Sam to his knees' before you picked me up." Castiel shifted uncomfortably."  
"Like hell he is." Dean pressed harder on the gas.  
"Dean!" Castiel rolled his eyes. "They're soulmates! Calm the horses!"  
  
Dean took a second glance at Castiel as if to rethink what he had just said. "Calm the..?" Dean started laughing and Castiel gave him a confused look. Dean loosened up on the gas and he took a few moments to calm his laughter down. "Damn, Cas. That's, that's not the saying." Castiel shook his head in confusion and Dean smiled at his friend before letting out a sigh. "I know, I know. It's just weird to think of my little brother, y'know." Dean shrugged.  
  
"Having sex?" He deadpanned.  
"Yes! Dammit, Cas! You didn't need to say it out loud."  
"I just wanted to clarify." Castiel laughed.  
  
"Yeah, whatever." Dean felt a small heat rise to his face so he turned away from Castiel to focus on driving. The two rode in almost complete silence beside the rock music playing in the background. They drove for a bit more until they pulled up to a street full of apartment buildings before Dean drove up into driveway next to a 1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V. "You're right. The pimpmobile's here." Dean and Castiel both got out of the car and walked up to the front porch. Dean unlocked the door and stepped inside. "Sammy I'm home!" he yelled and Castiel stepped inside before closing the door behind him.  
  
"Dean, I'm right here." Sammy came around the corner from the kitchen area and was washing a dish.  
"Dean-o!" Gabriel came sauntering out from Sam's bedroom. "And Cassie. Always together, you two." Gabriel winked.  
  
Castiel shifted and rolled his eyes at Gabriel before moving over to sit on their living room couch. Dean went up to give Sam a bro-hug and Gabriel went and hopped over the couch and unceremoniously landing on the ground after bouncing off the said couch. The other three in the room laughed while Gabriel grumbled before standing up and sitting on the couch next to Castiel like a normal person.  
  
Gabriel glanced back at Sam and Dean who were having their own conversation before turning his attention to Castiel and nudging him. "Did you tell him yet?" Castiel got wide-eyed and turned his head to see if Dean was listening in. "Obviously not. Cas, it's been years since you've known. Why don't you just tell him?"  
  
"I don't want to ruin the relationship we have. Once I tell him everything's going to change." Castiel glanced back over at Dean.  
"I still think you're overreacting. Maybe a little, but you're probably just going to get laid for once." Gabriel rolled his eyes.  
"What?" Castiel blushed. "No, I. I'm definitely not ready for that. Even more the reason."  
"Well, I'm sure Dean would understand Cassie. You just need to tell him. How long do you plan to hide this?"  
"I...I don't know. But I'm not ready to tell him yet." Castiel looked down at his feet.  
  
"Who ya telling something to Cas?" Dean called over as he and Sam moved over to sit by them on the couch. Sam moved to sit by Gabriel and Gabriel swung his arm over his boyfriend's shoulders as Dean moved to sit by Castiel. Castiel became extremely aware of the proximity but tried to stay calm.  
  
"Uh, no. We were talking about talking to my Dad. Just, complicated family stuff." Castiel came up with a quick lie but Gabriel looked at Castiel with a serious expression. Castiel noticed him looking but refused to look at him. He knew that he was a terrible liar, especially when it came to Dean, so the best thing he could think of was to bring up another problem in his life.  
  
"Tell him what? Are you guys fighting again?" Dean asked.  
"Yeah, well. We... we're always fighting." Castiel felt Gabriel's worried gaze on him.  
"What about? You should just tell him whatever you need to Cas, he's your dad, he should understand."  
"Dean, it's not as simple as that." Castiel stood up and walked nearer to the door in case he had a panic attack.  
"Maybe I can help? I can go there with you dude-" He stood up and got cut off.  
  
"No!" Castiel shouted and backed away from him. Castiel felt his chest get tighter and it was starting to get harder to breathe. Gabriel stood up and Sam looked at Castiel with worry in his eyes.  
  
"Cas, calm down. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's okay." Dean tried to get closer but Castiel only backed away.  
"No! It's not okay! You don't get it!"  
"Cas, then tell me, tell me and I can help!"  
  
"Dean." Gabriel went up to the Winchester and grabbed one of his shoulders to get him to back up. Castiel kept shaking his head and he got to the point where his breathing became labored and he desperately tried to calm himself down.  
  
"Cas, whatever it is, it'll pass and it'll be okay." Dean didn't move forward but tried to calm his friend down.  
"Dean it won't pass because I'm gay!" Castiel yelled.  
  
"Shit." Gabriel cursed once the words came out of his mouth. Dean was in a shocked silence and Castiel soon realized what happened and shook his head again before reaching for Gabriel's spare car keys on the hook by the door and running out through the front door. "Shit. Castiel!" There was the sound of an engine turn on and Gabriel pushed past Dean to run after Castiel and the door slammed closed behind him.  
  
Dean and Sam ran up to the front door to see the taillights of Gabriel's car speeding off into the distance. Dean stood stunned while Sam looked at his brother in worry. Soon Sam put his hand on Dean's shoulder and pushed him back inside before closing the door behind the both of them. Dean slowly moved to sit back on the couch in complete silence before laying his head in his hands.  
  
"What did I just do..?" Dean ran his hands through his hair.  
"Dean, you couldn't-"  
"Sammy I just forced my best friend to out himself to me! What the fuck is wrong with me?!"  
"I mean, it's not like you were trying to." Sam tried to comfort his brother.  
  
"Sam! I've been such a dick to him! I've been trying to set him up with girls for ages! What kind of best friend am I?" Dean stood up and punched the wall which caused Sam to move closer in case he tried to do it again.  
  
"Dean! You didn't know he didn't like girls. And he never told you, how could you know?"  
"It doesn't change the fact that I forced him to out himself!"  
"Dean, you need to calm down, this isn't helping anyone." Sam reasoned. He went over to grab Dean and lead his older brother back to the couch. "Shut up and listen to me, Dean." His brother sent him a glare but went silent nonetheless. "I get that you feel like shit right now, it was a really shitty thing to happen, but you need to understand that you didn't know. You didn't know what Cas was hiding, and you probably didn't expect it to be that big of an issue for him. And I know that you've been trying to help him find his soulmate and have been looking in the completely wrong direction, but you can't blame all of this on yourself. Cas didn't say anything to you about any of this, and he seemed more comfortable to keep it a secret for however long he planned too. Hell, he may have been scared how you would react-I mean, you know how Dad felt about me and Gabe matching." Dean looked down at his hands and let out a sigh. "All that I'm saying is, give Castiel some space and try to apologize tomorrow. Let him work some stuff out."   
  
Dean was silent for a moment before he took in a deep breath and then let it out. "You're right. I'll talk to him tomorrow, or I'll try." He looked at his brother and Sam in response gave him a quick hug. "Thanks, Sammy."  
  
"No problem. Let's just head to bed, okay? It's been a long day." Sam stood up and Dean followed suit before they both separated to go into their respected rooms.  
  
Dean shut his door behind him and let out a sigh.  _I really fucked up._  He moved over to his bed before stripping to his boxers and collapsing onto the bed. After a moment of not moving Dean rolled over to plug his phone into his charger and then flip back over to stare at the ceiling.  _I'm so sorry Cas._ Dean rolled over to his side and closed his eyes.  _I'll make things up to you, I promise.  
  
_  
\---  
  
  
A loud ringing from Dean's phone woke him up from an uneasy sleep.  _What?_  Dean looked over at the clock in his room to figure out what time it was.  _1:00 am? Who the hell is calling me?_  Dean rubbed his eyes before sitting up and grabbing his phone. He opened it and answered the call without checking the caller I.D. "Hello?"  
  
"Dean. It's me." It was Gabriel.  
"Gabe? What's up? Why are you calling so late?"  
"It's Cas."  
"What? Is he okay? Where is he?" Dean felt worry spread through him and he jumped out of bed.  
"He's in the car with me but I'm taking him to the hospital, we'll be there soon."  
"What? What happened?" Dean started putting on his clothes that he had discarded on the floor.  
  
"Well, after Cas ran out of your guy's apartment he got into my car and tried to take off," Gabriel explained and Dean heard the honk of a horn from Gabriel's side of the line. "I managed to get in the car but Cassie wouldn't talk to me. Instead, he started driving and we ended up at a bar. He then told me that he needed to think-well, drink." Gabriel sighed. "Long story short a drunk Cas somehow managed to piss a few guys off and one of the dicks stabbed him with a freaking knife. I punched the guy out and got Castiel into the car as soon as I could and now we're on our way to the hospital." Gabriel quickly explained. "I only called because Cas is gonna need you. And I figured you'd wanna know."  
  
"Thanks, Gabe. Yes, thank you. Which hospital?" Dean asked.  
"General."  
"Alright, I'll grab Sam and we'll be on our way.  
"Alright, don't get in a wreck before you get here," Gabriel warned before hanging up.  
  
Dean finished getting dressed before running out to go and pound on Sam's door before opening it without waiting for a response. Sam grumbled and sat up wondering what the hell is going on. "Dean? What the fuck?"  
  
"Gabriel's taking Cas to the hospital. We gotta go." Dean responded and instantly Sam shot out of bed.  
"Alright, I'll meet you in the car." Sam got out of bed and started getting dressed.  
  
Dean moved quickly when going to grab his keys and leave the house. He had just turned on the ignition to his car when Sam closed the front door of the house and then ran his way to open the passenger's side door and get inside. Dean backed up and instantly started driving without even waiting for Sam to buckle himself in.   
  
Dean was nearly speeding in his rush to make it to the hospital and to get to Castiel. He felt his heart pounding in his chest with worry.  _He better make it out alright._  Dean felt a pit in his stomach but he could see the lights of the hospital in the distance. Sam looked at Dean with worry but he understood that there was probably nothing he could do to calm Dean down. Sam knew how much Dean cared for Castiel, and he knew that they weren't soulmates, but he could never imagine anyone ever being a better fit for his brother. He really wondered if they weren't soulmates after all sometimes, but it was a rarity for matching soul marks to not be in the same place as each other, and Castiel definitely had no mark on his left forearm.  
  
Dean made it to the hospital and parked in the Emergency part of the parking lot. Both brothers got out and Dean started scanning for Gabriel's car. He saw the pimpmobile pulled up to the actual building and saw spots of blood leading into the entrance. Dean felt his stomach drop and he ran towards the door with Sam scrambling to keep up with him. A janitor was already working on the spots of blood that Dean saw leading into the main emergency room doors inside the building and Dean grew even more worried. He ran up to one of the nurses at the front to ask them what was going on. "Hello. My name is Dean Winchester. A man named Castiel Novak should have just gotten here, he was stabbed." Dean felt Sam come up behind him and lay a hand on his shoulder.  
  
The woman looked at Dean and instantly knew who he was talking about. "Yes, he just came in. You can't see him right now, he's in surgery."  
  
"Surgery?" Dean felt his stomach drop again.  
"Dean." Gabriel came up from behind him from the waiting room with a bag of clothes in hand.  
  
"Gabe?" Dean turned around and saw Sam go over to hug Gabriel. "Gabe, what happened?" Dean asked and Sam pulled away from his boyfriend. Gabriel ran a hand through his long golden hair in frustration before responding.  
  
"Cas ended up getting stabbed in between his ribs. Right under his mark." Gabriel sighed. "He was on his fourth drink when some guy bumped into him. You know how Cas talks sometimes, he takes things and talks a little too literally sometimes. Well, Castiel was being a smartass and you know basically know how well that ended up." The three of them went over to sit on one of the waiting room couches. "The guy knocked him out too, on top of everything." Gabriel sighed again. "The doctors said he should be okay, but he didn't look good." Dean stared down at his hands and felt guilt running through him. Gabriel noticed him and pushed his arm. "Don't do that Dean. This isn't your fault. I get that you feel like you were the cause of him ending up at the bar, but that's just how Castiel deals with this shit. Whenever it comes to his Dad, Cas tends to drink away those problems. It wasn't all you that he was worried about."  
  
"I didn't help," Dean grumbled.  
"No, you didn't. But it was about time that he finally told his best friend that he's gay."  
"You knew?"  
"Of course I did. It was pretty obvious from the get-go, and when I first asked him he told me."  
"Why didn't he say anything to me earlier?" Dean asked.  
"Well." Gabriel shifted uncomfortably. "He's the one who will have to answer that. I know, but I can't say."  
  
Dean and Sam looked at him in confusion but then a doctor approached the three of them. They all stood up and the doctor looked at the clipboard in his hand and then back to them. "Hello. I'm Dr. Ables. You're all here for Castiel Novak, correct?" They all simply nodded. "Alright. Mr. Novak just came out of surgery and is being moved to his own room as we speak. I can take you to his room if you'd like.  
  
"Is he going to need to stay overnight?" Gabriel asked.  
  
"No, but I imagine he'll need some help getting dressed. He's stitched up, but he shouldn't strain himself right now in his condition." The doctor replied before scanning his card in the machine so the emergency doors would open for him. He led the three men down a few hallways and stopped in front of room 24. "He's right in here." The doctor started to walk off. "Let me know if you need anything."  
  
The three glanced at each other before carefully pulling back the room's curtains and stepping into the small space. Castiel was laying down in a hospital bed and Dean could see the bruise forming on Castiel's right eye. He felt his heart sink but also a wave of relief wash over him.  _He's okay._ Dean went over to take the chair closest to Castiel and Gabriel and Sam took the seats closer to the door.  
  
The room was just silence other than the sound of the soft breathing of Castiel who was still sound asleep on the bed. Dean kept his eyes fixed on his best friends and just pleaded internally for him to wake up. Sam yawned and Gabriel put his hand on Sam's knee and glanced over at Dean before shaking his head in disbelief. Gabriel knew, of course, what his plan of action was once Castiel woke up, and he decided to take the situation into his one hands. This situation was only sign enough that Castiel needed to come out with his secret, in every shape and form.  
  
The three of them looked up once they heard and noticed that Castiel moved and started to stir. "Cas?" Dean moved closer and subconsciously grabbed his hand. "Cas?" He asked again and Castiel moved his head back and forth a few times before he slit his eyes open when waking up. He then opened his eyes fully and blinked in trying to understand where he was.  
  
"Dean...? Where am I?" Castiel asked gruffly and groggily.  
"The hospital. You, uh. You got stabbed."  
"Oh." Castiel moved and looked down. "Yes. That happened." Castiel laid his head back again.  
"Yeah...You seem sobered up." Dean tried to lighten the mood.  
"Yes. It appears adrenaline from surgery and being stabbed helps sobriety."  
  
"Well, nonetheless, I'm glad you're okay," Gabriel said as he stood up and moved towards the bed and went to the opposite side of Dean. Gabriel gave Castiel a smile and he in return gave him a small one back. "I'm glad you're not bleeding all over my car anymore. It's going to be quite a hassle getting the stains out."  
  
"You're an ass." Castiel grinned and Gabriel patted his knee.  
"I know." Gabriel glanced at Sam then turned back to Castiel. "Oh yeah, you're free to go by the way."  
"I am?"  
"Yeah, Doctor said so. I can handle the paperwork too."  
"Oh sure, but, should I really put my old clothes on again?"  
  
"I got that covered." Gabriel turned to Sam and Sam tossed him the bag of clothes. Gabriel set the bag at Castiel's feet and patted Castiel's knee again. "Oh yeah, the doctor said someone needs to help you get dressed." A flash of worry crossed Castiel's face. "He doesn't want you straining yourself." Gabriel smiled knowingly. "I'm going to go handle the paperwork and I imagine you're closer to Dean than Sam, so he'll help you get dressed." Castiel made a death glare at Gabriel and Gabriel simply leaned in by his ear. "If you seriously want to keep this secret after you got fucking stabbed, you're stupid. Tell him." Gabriel leaned back and he turned to Sam. "Alright, we'll leave you to it." Gabriel stepped out of the room and Sam stopped before following.  
  
"I'm glad you're doing better Cas." Sam smiled and stepped out of the room as well.  
  
Castiel let out a sigh and closed his eyes for a while before opening them and looking at Dean. Dean smiled and then realized he was still holding Castiel's hand and pulled it away. Castiel himself didn't notice Dean was holding his hand until he pulled it away. Castiel felt a pang of loss once he lost contact and he sighed in realizing his predicament.  
  
"Are you ready to get changed?" Dean rubbed his hands on his jeans after standing up.  
"Uh, yeah." Castiel tossed his blanket aside and swung his legs off the side of the bed.  
"Do you need help?"  
  
"Well, things hurt a bit." Castiel gritted his teeth. He sat for a moment breathing a little hard. "I would like to put on my underwear and pants by yourself however if you'll let me." Castiel requested.  
  
"Yeah, dude. Of course." Dean reached over to grab the bag of clothes and handed it to Castiel. He took the bag and gave Dean a small smile before hopping off the bed and standing up by himself. Dean made sure he was good before he turned around and stared at the wall. "Just lemme know when you're done, and if you need help."  
  
"I'm good." Castiel felt a blush rise to his face but he pushed away the thought that came to his mind. He pulled his boxers from his bag and struggled to pull them up his legs after dropping them on the ground. Castiel took a glance at the jeans in the bag and dropped them to his feet. He went to reach down again but felt a pain course through his side and it stopped him from trying again. "Dean. I will need your help after all." He sighed.  
  
"Oh, alright. Is it good for me to turn around?" Dean asked.  
"Yes. You're fine."   
  
Dean turned around an moved back over to Castiel to see his jeans at his feet. Dean laughed and he kneeled down so Castiel could put his feet in each of the hole pant legs. "It must be weird huh? Having someone dress you? It's like having a servant." Dean joked and stood up to finish pulling Castiel's pants up to his hips. Dean paused for a second when he realized that Castiel's fly needed to be buttoned but Castiel took the job into his own hands and caused Dean to look up. "Sorry, I, uh. I got distracted."  
  
"It's okay." Castiel felt heat rise to his cheeks and he turned to grab the shirt Gabriel packed in the bag. "And I don't think I could handle a servant. I find it a bit embarrassing that I can't dress myself." Castiel held the shirt in his hands in front of him and just stared down at it.  
  
"You okay Cas?" Dean asked.  
  
"Uh, yeah. I'm okay, I just..." He paused. "Dean, I need to tell you something." Castiel put the shirt on the bed and Dean reached forward to grab the bottom of Castiel's hospital gown.  
  
"What is it?" Dean started rolling up the Hem of Castiel's gown. "You'll need to put your arms up above your head."  
"Uh, we'll talk about it after I'm dressed."  
  
"Oh, alright." Dean shrugged and Castiel let out a sigh. Castiel then put his arms up and took in a deep breath. Castiel at this point braced himself for the worst once Dean started slipping the hospital gown up and over Castiel's head. But when Dean paused after getting the gown up to Castiel's forearms, Castiel was prepared for the worst. "Cas." Dean paused and then quickly took the gown completely off Castiel. "Cas." Castiel had been avoiding Dean's eyes the entire time but finally looked down at him. "Cas why didn't you tell me?" Dean sounded hurt. "This whole time, you knew!"  
  
"I know." Castiel sighed and sat on the bed.  
"Cas it's been eight years!"  
"I know."  
"I spent years trying to find my soulmate! Years, Cas!"  
"I know." Castiel looked at his hands.  
  
"And all this time. All of this fucking time it was you!" Dean ran a hand through his hair and Castiel stayed silent. "It was you this whole fucking time." Dean looked down at his feet and he paused. "I spent all of this time...looking for a soulmate who didn't want to even be with me..."  
  
"Dean that's not true!" Castiel stood up and turned to his friend.  
"Then why did you keep this a secret for so long?" Dean turned around to face him.  
"Because I was scared."  
"Of what?"  
"Losing you." Castiel looked at his feet.  
"Cas, I'm your best friend, why would you lose me?"  
  
"Dean, I know I was just trying to cover my tracks in any way I could, but the situation with my dad is a real problem. He always looks down on Gabriel because he ended up with Sam and I know he would do it to me too." Castiel sighed. "I've known I liked guys since middle school, and I knew I was gay once I met you and I realized that no girl has ever attracted me, and no guy has ever attracted me more than you." He smiled just a bit at the memory but he grew worried. "And once I turned eighteen and my mark showed up I hoped in my heart that it would be you, but once it was I got scared. You've always talked about girls and hooking up with girls before you turned eighteen. You've never been interested in guys and I thought it must have been a mistake. Even if I loved you, it was wrong because there was no way you loved me."  
  
"Cas..."  
  
"I thought that once I told you the truth, you would be spending as much time as you could to change it. To find some way to turn back time so that we were never matched together. Because you're not gay, Dean. And you never will be."  
  
Dean looked at his friend before looking down at his own feet and sighing. "No, I'm not gay. And I never will be." He looked up to meet Castiel's worried eyes which were now looking at him. "But, I am bi." Dean stated. "When I was a sophomore, I started to have weird feelings towards you, and, well..." Dean rubbed the back of his neck. "I tried having sex with a few guys to really figure out if I felt any attraction towards the opposite sex." Dean felt a bit embarrassed to admit everything. "I did, but I also realized that no one ever held a candle to my heart the way you did. There was always something about you that made me feel...I don't know, weird?" Dean shrugged. "I used to think that we might end up soul mates, but once you told me what your mark was, I tried to kill those hopes," Dean admitted. "I guess it's also why I tried so hard to find my soulmate before because I needed proof that my soulmate actually wasn't you." Dean met Castiel's eyes again and he noticed that Castiel had started to cry. He quickly moved over to his best friend and pulled him into a hug while being careful of his stitches.  
  
"S-so. Y-you're not upset?" Castiel asked.  
"Not about being your soulmate, no. But the fact that you waited eight years to say anything, kinda."  
"I'm sorry." Castiel gripped onto Dean's shirt and Dean rubbed circles into his friends back.  
  
"It's okay. Cat's out now." Dean laughed and Castiel pulled away wiping his eyes. He slowly leaned in to kiss Castiel and their lips met softly and slowly. When he pulled away  Dean reached over to trace the mark on Castiel's side that matched his own. Castiel felt chills run down his spine at the touch and Dean felt an electricity run through him as well. "I feel so light. Now that I know. It's weird." Dean rested his hand on the mark and met Castiel's eyes.  
  
"I know what you mean. It's different for me too, you knowing." Castiel nodded.  
"What do you suppose the mark means?" Dean asked.  
"No idea, I've been trying to figure it out for eight years." Castiel shrugged and laced his fingers with Dean's.  
"Well, we have lots of time to figure that out." Dean leaned in again to kiss his now boyfriend and soulmate.  
"I look forward to every day of that time." Castiel smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> I honestly didn't imagine writing another soulmate AU because it's so new and weird to me, but I honestly love reading them, so I figured I'd write another one. Thanks for reading!


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